Carlos Alcaraz stood twirling his racquet on his fingers, squinting under a blazing sun, shifting his weight occasionally on Centre Court.
He resembled an old western gunslinger spinning a pistol on his finger, itching for a battle at OK Corral. And the Spaniard looked pissed. Real pissed. Taylor Fritz’s extended break or, more likely, the fact they were a set apiece in a Wimbledon semi-final, had him scowling.
Had he chewed tobacco, you can bet he would spitting it with gusto at the back of the world’s most famous court despite its magnificence.
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Taylor Fritz. AP Photo/Kirsty WigglesworthSource: AP
This was not a day for dilly-dallying. It was bloody stifling, in fact. About 20 minutes earlier two patrons had collapsed on either side of the court during one of his service games due to the heat, with the temperature topping 30C in London on Friday.
But against the trend of play Alcaraz, who had broken his rival in the opening game of their semi-final and closed out the opening set with ruthless efficiency, suddenly chucked in a loose service game to drop to love and find himself sitting at 6-4 5-7 after 1hr 23min.
This would not do. Well before the No.5 seed took a break from the court that extended to seven minutes, Alcaraz was on his feet and at the back of the court, muttering to his team, twisting that racquet, prowling behind the baseline like a caged lion. Pissed off? You betcha.
It took a couple of games for him to unleash his frustration but when the opportunity came, he let loose and broke Fritz to love in the decisive move that ultimately saw him clinch a 6-4 5-7 6-3 7-6 (6) victory over his rival in 2hr 48 min to reach his third Wimbledon final.
The service break that came amid a run of 13 straight points to Alcaraz as the American, who was playing the second biggest match of his life after an appearance in the US Open final last September against world No.1 Jannik Sinner, lost his way momentarily in a fine match.
Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz. Photo by HENRY NICHOLLS / AFPSource: AFP
Alcaraz is an amiable character. His smile carries the shine of a thousand light bulbs. After defending his Roland Garros title in June, he partied in Ibiza. Throughout Wimbledon he has golfed with Andy Murray. But make the man wait? Fritz poked the bear and paid for it.
Less than 30 minutes later, and after another break of serve, the Spaniard had the set. Alcaraz was in the ascendancy. And even the pop of champagne bottles being uncorked as he served in the infancy of the fourth set was not going to rattle a man in pursuit of the legends.
Fritz, to his credit, gave it a mighty good try. He was able to save the only break point for the set at 3-all and serve his way into a tiebreaker, where he turned a 1-4 deficit into two points to level the semi-final through some outstanding play.
But Alcaraz tightened the screws. The brilliance of the Alcaraz serve, and the most remarkable touch as well, carried the day in a phenomenal flourish to finish, with the tennis through the tiebreaker as good as you will see. Well, perhaps until Sunday afternoon.
“It was a really difficult match. Even talking with the conditions today, it was really hot again. Playing a semifinal here is not easy,” he said.
“I am just happy in the fourth set, saving two set points, I am just really proud of the way I stayed calm and (kept) thinking clearly. I am proud of my level today.”
Alcaraz had booked his place in another Wimbledon final. He will seek a hattrick on Sunday against Jannik Sinner in a reprisal of their Roland Garros class last month. There is no hotter ticket in sport this year. It is a stunner to conclude Wimbledon.
Carlos Alcaraz of Spain. Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images
Alcaraz overcomes 2nd set scare in R3 | 01:10
If the world No.2 succeeds on Sunday, he will join Bjorn Borg, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer and Djokovic as legends to win the All England Lawn Tennis Club Championships three times in succession. It is the best of company, but already a familiar group for Alcaraz.
The 22-year-old has played in five grand slam finals — the US Open in 2022, the past two Wimbledons and the two most recent editions of Roland Garros — and won all five. The 2023 Wimbledon decider over Djokovic and recent French final against Sinner were epics.
Alcaraz is now on a 20-match winning streak at Wimbledon and a 24-match run on the tour dating back to a triumph in Rome in May.
He secured the perfect 10 in defeating Fritz, having won all ten outings against Americans in majors. Want more? The hits keep coming.
Should he manage to complete the “Channel Double” at Roland Garros and Wimbledon for the second straight year, he will join Australian legend Rod Laver (1962 and 1969), Borg (1978-80) and his own inspiration Rafael Nadal (2008 and 2010) to do so.
Federer and Borg were among those sitting courtside, so too Indian batting legend Sachin Tendulkar. Alcaraz is in a similar trajectory to greatness, but he said it is not the titles or numbers that are motivating him as he marches in beat with the all-time legends.
“It is just not thinking about those things. It is not thinking about the winning streak,” he said.
“It is thinking about this being my dream. My dream is stepping on these beautiful courts and playing tennis in the most beautiful tournaments in the world.
“Right now, I don’t want to think about Sunday. I just want to enjoy this moment. Enjoy that I have qualified for another final. It is something that is really difficult. I will have time to play and to think on Sunday.”
Winner Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz hugs US player Taylor Fritz. Photo by Glyn KIRK / AFPSource: AFP
Classy Alcaraz pays tribute to Fognini | 00:33
Alcaraz set the tone from the opening point when, after shaping to thunder a forehand, he instead opted for a delicate drop shot. Within a couple of minutes he had what proved to be the solitary service break for a set that was then dominated by serve. It was the fastest start.
The tactics were interesting. The Spaniard had followed his serve to the net more than any other semi-finalist and did so again on Friday.
It is more a niche tactic than the prevalent force it was prior to the turn of the century, but used sparingly it can prove effective, particularly when deployed by a player possessing the hands and touch at the net of the Spaniard. On a hot day, short points were prized.
To his credit, Fritz was able to handle his own serve with distinction after the early blip through the first and second sets and was therefore in a position to pounce when an opportunity availed itself while leading 6-5 in the second set.
The 27-year-old is an angular man who possesses a great wing span and, although not able to pressure the Alcaraz serve with regularity, had success on some second serves by moving forward, abbreviating his return swing and redirecting the ball into the open court.
After thunderstriking a forehand into the open court at 6-5, he had a 0-30 advantage. A double-fault gifted him three set points to level. When Alcaraz over-cooked a forehand down the line, the semi-final was squared at a set apiece and Fritz was alive. But he took a break.
There is a lesson. Never give a champion like Alcaraz time to stew or reset. Because the early period of the third proved the difference.